Need help installing nvidia driver -- please

[mpajoh]

Motherboard: DFI Lanparty UT NForce4 Ultra- D
Video card: Evga Geforce 7600 GS PCI-E
Processor: AMD 64 Opteron
Fedora Core 5 x86 64 with all updates and new kernel

After downloading "NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-1.0-8762-pkg2.run" and installing it according to notes I found on this site.
When I startx it does not start, because it says it could not find nvidia module.

Here are some information that might help you to help me.

A snippet of xorg.conf:
Section "Monitor"

### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
# Start edit ---- Changed HorizSync and VertRefresh values to match the monitor
# End edit ----
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "Unknown monitor"
HorizSync 31.0 - 107.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 160.0
Option "dpms"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "Videocard vendor"
BoardName "nVidia Corporation Unknown device 0392"
EndSection

Section "Screen"

# Start edit ---- Added the following
# End edit ----
# Start edit ---- added this section
# End edit ----
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Videocard0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
DefaultFbBPP 32
SubSection "Display"

The pertinent part of /var/log/Xorg.0.log:

(II) Loading font Type1
(II) LoadModule: "nvidia" <======== Here is the problem
(WW) Warning, couldn't open module nvidia
(II) UnloadModule: "nvidia"
(EE) Failed to load module "nvidia" (module does not exist, 0)
(II) LoadModule: "mouse"
(II) Loading /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/input/mouse_drv.so
(II) Module mouse: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
compiled for 7.0.0, module version = 1.0.4
Module class: X.Org XInput Driver
ABI class: X.Org XInput driver, version 0.5
(II) LoadModule: "kbd"
(II) Loading /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/input/kbd_drv.so
(II) Module kbd: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
compiled for 7.0.0, module version = 1.0.1
Module class: X.Org XInput Driver
ABI class: X.Org XInput driver, version 0.5
(EE) No drivers available.

Fatal server error:
no screens found

And /etc/modprobe.conf:
alias eth0 skge
alias eth1 forcedeth
alias scsi_hostadapter sata_nv
alias snd-card-0 snd-intel8x0
alias char-major-195 nvidia
options snd-card-0 index=0
options snd-intel8x0 index=0
remove snd-intel8x0 { /usr/sbin/alsactl store 0 >/dev/null 2>&1 || : ; }; /sbin/modprobe -r --ignore-remove snd-intel8x0

lsmod|grep nvidia returns:
nvidia 5464564 0

I did find nvidia.ko kernel module under proproper section for the video drivers for the kernel version in use.
BTW: on the nvidia site there is another application that installs sound and network drivers for this chipset that I did not install, because those thing worked out of the box for my motherboard.

I hope someone can help me with this.

Masoud

[sailor]

You are doing it the hard way...
use the Fedora Faq's page instructions:
http://www.fedorafaq.org/#nvidia
all can be done through yum now...as long as you have the livna repositories, so check the yum configuration as shown there:
http://www.fedorafaq.org/#yumconf

[mpajoh]

Originally Posted by sailor

You are doing it the hard way...
use the Fedora Faq's page instructions:
http://www.fedorafaq.org/#nvidia
all can be done through yum now...as long as you have the livna repositories, so check the yum configuration as shown there:
http://www.fedorafaq.org/#yumconf

I tried to do the YUM way, but it could not find the needed kernel module for my version of Kernel.
For YUM livna configuration I used Stanton Finley's tutorials.
To this point, have done the initial "yum -y update" and not mush more, I followed Finely's suggestions.
If now I try the link you mentioned would that not create a problem with mixing repos?

Thanks for the hint.

Masoud

[rclark]

To use the 'yum', you do have to use a kernel that they support . It does work 'if' you have the correct kernel number ....

Yes, I tried the NVIDIA*.run in FC5 and it didn't work either. Seems crazy that you can't use the driver from the 'source' . In FC3 the *.run worked just fine. I upgraded my kernel several times and it worked.

[mpajoh]

Originally Posted by rclark

To use the 'yum', you do have to use a kernel that they support . It does work 'if' you have the correct kernel number ....

Yes, I tried the NVIDIA*.run in FC5 and it didn't work either. Seems crazy that you can't use the driver from the 'source' . In FC3 the *.run worked just fine. I upgraded my kernel several times and it worked.

I did what Finely suggested:
yum -y --enablerepo livna install kmod-nvidia-smp
the answer was that it could not find the proper download.

Is that not the correct command?

Masoud

[bob]

Actually, the correct command (assuming that you've got livna in your repos.d) would be:

'yum --enablerepo=livna install kmod-nvidia-smp' (if you have a smp kernel?)

Here's a link to the actual files on Livna: http://rpm.livna.org/fedora/5/i386/ (if you're running 32bit) or here: http://rpm.livna.org/fedora/5/x86_64/ (if you're running 64bit). You can see if a file exists for kmod-nvidia for your kernel and potentially just download and install it directly if you prefer.

[mpajoh]

Originally Posted by bob

Actually, the correct command (assuming that you've got livna in your repos.d) would be:

'yum --enablerepo=livna install kmod-nvidia-smp' (if you have a smp kernel?)

Here's a link to the actual files on Livna: http://rpm.livna.org/fedora/5/i386/ (if you're running 32bit) or here: http://rpm.livna.org/fedora/5/x86_64/ (if you're running 64bit). You can see if a file exists for kmod-nvidia for your kernel and potentially just download and install it directly if you prefer.

I think that my kernel is newer version than "1.0.8756-3.2.6.16_1.2111", although I am not positive and I do not have it here at work.

I will try the new command as you suggested as soon as I get home, anyway.

Thanks

[bob]

That's just the first kernel - there is also builds for 2122, 2133 and 2139 (a little further down the list). When you get home, run this command to make sure you're getting the right one for your latest kernel and remember to boot to the next oldest one before running it.

rpm -qa | grep kernel

So, in other words, if you've got the 2133 and the 2139, boot from the 2133 to do the kmod-Nvidia for the 2139.

[mpajoh]

Bob:
Youare definitly correct, there ARE module for other builds.
I Think I need:
kmod-nvidia-smp-1.0.8762-2.2.6.17_1.2139_FC5.i686.rpm 24-Jun-2006 15:57 1.6M
and when I last did the command was before 24-Jun , and yum could not find it.
At this point:

• I will uninstall the one that was installed by nvidia site's download.
• Then install via 'yum --enablerepo=livna install kmod-nvidia-smp'.

Do you think that should work?

Masoud

[bob]

Don't bother to uninstall the other one - leave it in place. You can still use it for the older kernel if you need to and it won't bother the new one. And yes, Livna is pretty quick but it may take a day or two to come out with the newest driver after a kernel release.

[mpajoh]

I do appreciate all the help anytime.
I cannot wait to get home to try this.
Work gets in the way of having fun , you know, but I hear that my creditors are reasonably happy

Thanks

[mpajoh]

Originally Posted by bob

Actually, the correct command (assuming that you've got livna in your repos.d) would be:

'yum --enablerepo=livna install kmod-nvidia-smp' (if you have a smp kernel?)

....

Bob:
I did try that command and it still could not find the approperiate kernel module
kmod-nvidia-1.0.8762-2.2.6.16_1.2133_FC5.x86_64.rpm
eventhough I was looking at it in the browser window!!!
Then I did:
uname -r
and the answer was:
2.6.16-1.2133_FC5
I compared the kmod name with this and see the red part -- the underscore and the dash.
I use Finely's script:

[livna]
name=Livna for Fedora Core $releasever - $basearch - Base
baseurl=

http://rpm.livna.org/fedora/$releasever/$basearch/
http://livna.cat.pdx.edu/fedora/$releasever/$basearch/
http://wftp.tu-chemnitz.de/pub/linux/livna/fedora/$releasever/$basearch/
http://ftp-stud.fht-esslingen.de/pub/Mirrors/rpm.livna.org/fedora/$releasever/$basearch/

failovermethod=priority
#mirrorlist=http://rpm.livna.org/mirrorlist-5
enabled=0
gpgcheck=1

for /etc/yum.repos.d/livna.repo. I do not know how this script works, but it did not find the module with:
yum --enablerepo=livna install kmod-nvidia-smp
nor with:
yum --enablerepo livna install kmod-nvidia-smp

Why?

Any way I downloaded:
kmod-nvidia-1.0.8762-2.2.6.16_1.2133_FC5.x86_64.rpm
tried rpm -Uvh but it told me it needed:
xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-1.0.8762-3.lvn5.x86_64.rpm
installed them and, after reboot, all is well.

Last question:
What kind of problem, if any, I will run into since I used rpm instead of "yum localinstall" if I use yum next time? Is there anything to do to prevent future problems, if any, resulting from this?

Thanks for the help.
Masoud

[clytle374]

After getting it running (yum) once, i use sh NVIDIA... -K -e (module only and expert).
Note you may have to change the path to the module in the installer(it will ask).
Or change it in the nvidia-glx script, easier for kernel builds in the future.
Or just kill nvidia-glx????

Why i'm not sure, any expert input??

Cory